Open Your Heart to a Senior in 2012, Local Organization Offers Volunteer Opportunities Across Allegheny County
2012 is the perfect year to stop putting off that annual New Year’s resolution to volunteer and Open Your Heart to a Senior can help. Open Your Heart to a Senior is committed to helping senior citizens live safely and independently in their own homes throughout Allegheny County. Volunteers can help by providing transportation to medical appointments and grocery shopping, telephone reassurance calls, friendly home visits, yard work and simple home repairs.
Allegheny County boasts one of the highest populations of senior citizens in the United States.
The time commitment is flexible and the need is ongoing in every Allegheny County community:
- Shopper – Two to four times monthly; one to two hours per trip
- Driver – One to two hours per trip
- Weekly or Biweekly Friendly Visitor – One to two hours per visit
- Telephone Caller – Thirty minutes per week per care receiver
- Safety for Seniors – Five hours on a Saturday for training and safety checks
- Handyperson and Yardwork
- Snow Shoveler
- Mail Assistant – Two to four hours monthly
- Office Help – Three hours weekly
In recent years, 700 volunteers served more than 1,400 care receivers in 84 Allegheny County zip codes. In 2011, volunteers contributed approximately 12,000 hours on behalf of the region’s vulnerable seniors.
For more information, on volunteering, visit www.openyourhearttoasenior.org, call 412-307-0071 or toll-free at 866-467-0888 or email at seniors@nhco.org.